During emergencies, rescue operations need to be fast to respond to various situations. In mud, quicksand, floods, ice or mixed terrain, conventional vehicles have serious limitations, and to overcome access issues then need auxiliary equipment such as floatation platforms to reach victims from mud and ice.
The Hov Pod SPX All Terrain Rescue Hovercraft (ATRH) can be configured to carry people or relief aid or rescue equipment and staff. The Hov Pod All Terrain Rescue Hovercraft (ATRH) can be modified to take specialist equipment, for spine boards, GPS, VHF radios etc. The ATRH is significantly more cost effective than larger hovercraft or helicopters and its size makes it very versatile and maneuverable to access constricted areas.
The Hov Pod SPX TCC+ Rescue Hovercraft can be deployed
quickly and safely in areas where traditional boats and all-terrain vehicles
cannot get access.
During flooding emergencies, a lot of garbage will float in
the water and traditional rescue boat propellers easily get snagged and become
immobilised; water jet in-take engines are also affected; hovercraft do not
have propellers or jet in-take engines. Rescue boats are restricted by fast running
water, whereas the Hov Pod SPX TCC+ Rescue Hovercraft will hover typically 8
inches above the surface and is therefore less affected.
Traditional vehicles cannot access tidal waters, or traverse
over sand and mud flats, or reach victims that have fallen through ice.
Helicopters are expensive to operate, and 100 mph downdraft winds require a
long winch cable which slows response times – when waters rise, victims climb
trees and pylons, helicopters cannot see victims under thick tree cover or
operate near pylons.
TCC + Specification
For rescue and commercial operations we recommend that you
select the TCC+ hull, our latest version craft with dedicated and improved
specifications to meet the demands for rescue use. The TCC+ craft incorporate a
higher specification increased hull thickness in impact areas through more
material and a more complex and costly oven cycle time to get more strength
into the outer periphery of the craft, plus military spec. cooling system and
gantry, additional electric power points.
Colour Options
The Hov Pod SPX TCC+ Rescue Hovercraft craft can
be ordered in choice of colour, in standard Red, Blue or Yellow, or for
visibility, the option is available for Rescue Orange.
Rescue Options
There are a number of recommended options for rescue
applications, we can send you a detailed price estimate in pdf format or excel
format if you wish to configure the craft in your currency.
Rescue Considerations
Global warming, regardless of whether man made or natural,
appears here to stay and more likely to create more flooding
emergencies. Flooding can disrupt a large area and wash away roads and
bridges. If flooding is widespread, response capability can be severely
hampered by not having the right equipment in the right place at the right
time.
The Hov Pod SPX TCC+ Rescue Hovercraft is designed to
be easy to use and affordable - cheaper to buy than the daily operation costs
of some helicopters and large hovercraft.
Ease of Operation
The operator does not have to have special hovercraft pilot
certification, so many rescue hovercraft can be deployed over a large area to
respond where required - larger hovercraft are often in the wrong place and can
only be operated by highly trained pilots in open areas. Larger hovercraft can
cost many times the cost of one Hov Pod, so a fleet of Hov Pod Rescue
Hovercraft can transport more personnel and essential goods, to where and when
they are needed. It is easy to operate with a minimum of training and
anyone can learn to drive it in about 15 minutes, it really is simple and
designed to make life easy. We spent time to design out the need for confusing
extra controls and careful attention to detail on the balance and trim of the
craft so the Hov Pod is simple, instinctive and easy to drive. This also allows
you to train anyone to operate to use it as and when it is necessary to do so -
no special training required. We sell direct since the Hov Pod is easy to
operate, and maintain.
Respected Brand
Many rescue organisations have purchased the Hov
Pod SPX TCC+ Rescue Hovercraft including the United Nations World Food
Program, Argentinean Coastguard, Hong
Kong Harbour
patrol, DLRG, and The Red Cross. The Hov Pod SPX TCC+ Rescue Hovercraft
has saved lives during a number of flooding and rescue situations.
Why Hov Pod is different
The Hov Pod Hovercraft is the only hovercraft currently
available manufactured from High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE). All terrain
vehicles need to be very strong and take punishment in day to day use over ice,
water debris, stones, rocks, rough terrain and bumps and dips in the surface.
The new generation Hov Pod incorporates a 3-layer TCC HDPE composite. The superior weight to strength ratio for TCC
HDPE is vastly superior to glass fibre, that is why it is used for kayaks (that
continually hit and ride off submerged rocks) and to create artificial joints,
ice rink puck impact plates and F1 crash barriers. This ensures that the Hov
Pod is lightweight, extremely buoyant, yet far stronger and more impact resistant
than brittle glass fibre (GRP) which cracks and breaks on impact. You can hit
HDPE with a mallet or jump up and down on it without cracking it, which means
that the Hov Pod can withstand operational use, impacts, knocks and bumps that
destroy other craft. HDPE allows us to manufacture hulls at a faster rate to
improve delivery times and respond to growing demand. Unlike GRP that requires
special backing plates to be bonded in and fiberglass skills HDPE is very easy
to modify and adapt to accept mounts and extra equipment
As an example our demonstrator craft has been driven up and
own our local debris infested river and tidal banks on average twice a week for
4 years. In that time we demonstrate the hulls durability by going over rubble,
blocks, stones etc and after 4 years of this recently turned our hull over to
replace the sacrificial skids we fit………….no hull damage had occurred despite
regular knocks and bangs and a few heavy impacts with larger debris lying on
the shore. After 4 years of use the owner is far more satisfied to have chosen
HDPE as a material that withstands these knocks as opposed to an alternative
hull material that is severely worn down, damaged or has shattered into pieces,
sometimes in only 6 months.
Ice and snow
Because of this HDPE hull the Hov Pod SPX TCC+ Rescue
Hovercraft is ideal for general rugged use but in particular over ice and snow.
Unlike snowmobiles and boats the Hov Pod SPX TCC+ Rescue Hovercraft is a
true year round solution and is not affected by thinning ice, water pools,
melting ice, broken ice or access to or from ice or water lakes.
We have supplied craft for use in Scandinavia,
Canada and Central
Europe; please see some of the You Tube links at http://hovpod-in-use.blogspot.co.uk/p/snow-ice.html in our video area on the website. The Hov
Pod SPX TCC+ Rescue Hovercraft hull is far more suitable than thin glass
fibre constructed hovercraft hulls that shatter on impact with ice or debris in
water or mud. This characteristic is particularly comforting in cold climates
as some glass fibre hovercraft in the past have sunk or let on board freezing
water exposing occupants to the threat of hypothermia.
Engineering
The Hov Pod SPX is in a class of its own, designed by CAD and
made on CAM machines from highly durable
materials and processes. This means that components such as the drive parts are
made to high levels of accuracy and quality for increased operational
durability, safety and reliability. The Hov Pod unlike many other craft is also
designed for salt water operation with enclosed quick lift off engine covers and
parts such as high specification electrical components and stainless steel
fittings to minimise corrosion and increase operational reliability and safety.
The simple yet rugged design and use of quality components mean that servicing
where required is easy to undertake.
Safety
The Hov Pod SPX is designed with safety in mind, compared to
other craft it is the class leader made from high quality durable parts and
with many features unique to the Hov Pod such as HDPE impact resistant hulls,
anti rip skirts, rear guarding, ease of operation, anti plough (most craft dig
in at high speed, operators can be thrown dangerously forwards and then don't
have enough power to get going again) and unlike most other craft (which
actually will sink if flooded) contain complete integral flooded conditions
buoyancy. Some craft even take on water in calm conditions if they are
incorrectly balanced.
Skirt Material
Cheap thin skirts get ripped and are expensive to keep
replacing, and dangerous if ripped by debris or ice, so we have rejected
Hypalon (which rips too easily) and Neoprene coated nylon (which suffers from
UV degradation) The Hov Pod SPX TCC+ Rescue Hovercraft skirt material
is a unique specially developed Polyurethane / Nylon weave and fabric
combination with anti-rip properties and incredible wear resistance. It means
you can operate in far greater safety and will not be forever changing or
repairing skirts. Even when cut by sharp scissors it is almost impossible to
extend the cut. 65 Individual skirt sections and the unique IAPSS skirt design
gives far greater flexibility, continued operational ability and high speed
safety.
Request Samples
To receive samples of the unique HDPE hull and Polyurethane
/ Nylon weave skirt materials, please contact us.
For further information, please visit www.hovpod.com and www.rescue-hovercraft.com/
